Volunteering for ICYE in Honduras

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So this is a post about the general day to day life that I experience in Tegucigalpa, it is usually too dangerous to take pictures of things so I’ve got most of these pictures from the internet. I looked for a while for a picture of the streets of the centre, where I work, but I couldn’t find any… most likely because it’s too dangerous to flash a camera about there! A funny little story too… I was waiting in the women’s toilets at Wendy’s the other day and out of one of the cubicles comes a little girl no more than 5 and see’s me and straight away says ‘hola gringa’. Not in a mean way or anything, this is just what Latin Americans call anyone who is white. Technically it is only for people from the US but I guess it’s hard to tell the difference here. Laura is convinced it is an offensive term but I take it as like us calling Honduran’s ‘latinos’. Maybe it just depends on the way it’s used… Anyway, here are a few differences between good old England and my new home, Honduras:

1. The capital city: London vs. Tegucigalpa

2. The roads: nice, shiny motorways vs. huge cracks and potholes

3. Car accidents: Obviously car accidents aren’t much different but I drove past a 4 car crash yesterday two times, with about 2 hours in between, and there were no police or ambulances to be seen. In England we usually have someone there within minutes…

12. Home security: CCTV (or usually just locked doors) vs. barbed wire and broken glass on the walls around all houses

13. Local corner shop: A small shop with everything you could want vs. a ‘pulperia’ with bars to talk through and not much stuff

14. Food: The good, old classics (my mum was mean and told me she was having Shepards pie the other day and now I can’t stop thinking about it…) vs. plato tipico consisting of frijoles, mantequilla, eggs, platano, tortillas and maybe some meat

15. Fish and chips: Greasy vs. eyes staring at you

17. Money: One poin coin = 28 Lempira… in notes! (And yes, that is my own amazingly tanned hand in the picture!)

Of course some of these takes on things are quite generalised – like the tourism police that we met in the first weeks were very friendly (and not pervy) and there are lots more delicious examples of British food. But I hope you’ve enjoyed this little comparison of my old home and my current home!